Congo River Boat Collision Kills at Least 30, Dozens Missing

At least 30 people died and dozens remain missing following a collision between two boats on the Congo River over the weekend, local authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo announced Monday.

The incident occurred Sunday evening near the Ngombe-Lukolela area in the Equateur province, according to provincial interior minister Crispin Mputu. One of the motorized wooden vessels was traveling from Ubangi in the northwest to the capital, Kinshasa, while the other was en route from Kinshasa to Lukolela when they collided.

Officials stated that the 30 individuals confirmed dead have already been buried. Search and rescue operations are continuing in an effort to locate additional victims and survivors.

A member of the security forces, who witnessed the crash from the riverbank, told The Associated Press that the boat returning from Ubangi was overloaded with goods and collided with the boat coming from Kinshasa. The witness, who spoke anonymously as they were not authorized to speak publicly, added that nearly all passengers on board were trapped underwater before the vessel sank.

Nighttime navigation on the Congo River has been identified as a contributing factor in numerous past accidents, Mputu noted. Deadly boating tragedies are frequent in the central African nation, often attributed to late-night travel, overcrowded vessels, poor safety standards, and inadequate infrastructure in remote regions. Hundreds have died in such incidents in recent years.

In July, a separate boat accident in the Kasai province resulted in the deaths of at least 20 students when their vessel sank while navigating the confluence of the Sankuru and Kasai rivers.